Presentation Highlights
- Famous female spies of the OSS
- Women’s contributions to Allied victory in WWII
- Spy training, tradecraft, and covert weapons
- Sabotage, intelligence gathering, and communications
- The challenges women faced in wartime espionage
Upon request, Ellen will dress in 1940s period attire for the lecture.
Program Overview
During WWII, women of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) risked their lives as spies, saboteurs, mapmakers, guerrilla fighters, and communications experts. Though their achievements were overlooked for decades, these courageous women played a vital role in Allied success.
Drawing from extensive historical research and inspiration from her novel The Brass Compass, Ellen Butler explores the fascinating true stories of the women who helped shape the future of modern espionage.
This engaging presentation blends history, storytelling, and little-known wartime intrigue into a compelling program for audiences interested in WWII, espionage, and women’s history. It is a perfect lecture for Women’s History Month.
Booking Information
For availability and speaking fees please complete the form HERE.
About the Author
Ellen Butler is an award-winning author, historian, and speaker specializing in WWII and Cold War espionage history. Her interest in wartime intelligence began when she discovered that her grandfather had served as a cryptographer during World War II. Her historical research has included extensive study of the OSS, female intelligence operatives, resistance networks, and spycraft, as well as interviews with veterans and firsthand accounts.
Butler is the author of the award-winning WWII spy novel The Brass Compass, which received an IndieReader Discovery Award, Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal, and Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Book Award. Her Cold War thriller, Operation Blackbird, inspired by true events, received a Next Generation Indie Book Award Gold Medal for historical fiction.
A guest lecturer on WWII espionage and intelligence history, Butler brings the remarkable stories of spies, resistance fighters, and covert operatives to life for modern audiences. She is also the #1 Amazon chart-topping author of the Karina Cardinal mysteries and author of the Ariadne Winter historical mystery series.
Program Details
- Length: 45–50 minute presentation + audience Q&A
- Format: PowerPoint presentation
- A/V Needs: Projector and microphone (for larger rooms)
- Materials: Presenter can provide presentation via USB drive